This invention relates to improvements in trays and, more particularly, to a tray suited for handling mail. This container is formed from a collapsed and compact single piece blank which can be stored flat prior to use in a post office. It is adapted to be easily set up, without the need for any equipment, stitching or taping, into a generally rectangular tray with bottom and top closure flaps. The top closure flaps comprise a narrow and a wide flap with the wide flap formed of a wide and narrow panel, which wide flap can be easily folded out of the way and held in that position merely by slipping the narrow panel of the flap under the tray.
In the handling operation in the postal system, the mail is deposited in the tray prior to shipment to another location for sorting. The flaps of the tray pose little problem when the tray is being filled because such flaps can be easily held out of the way by hand. However, when the filled tray reaches the sorting station, the operator sorts the mail directly from the tray and needs two hands. It is at this stage that the tray of the present invention is particularly suitable. The wide panel of the wide top flap is positioned against the side panel of the tray with the narrow panel of such top flap under the bottom of the tray. It is retained in this position either by the weight of the contents of the tray or by placing the tray against the side of the sorting table. Thus, the mail can be removed from the tray and easily from an unobstructed top. For shipping the filled tray the top flap can be folded into a closed position and locked without the need for any equipment, stitching or taping.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,889,868 describes and claims a mail handling container with a cover provided with lock flaps which are inserted into pockets in the end walls of the container so that the cover can be held out of the way while the container is being filled. This requires end walls formed of double panels to provide the pockets for the lock flaps. Furthermore, it is necessary to use extra board to provide the lock flaps at the ends of the cover. In addition, the user of the container must perform an extra operation in inserting such lock flaps into the respective pockets.
The postal tray of the present invention is an improvement over the container of U.S. Pat. No. 3,889,868 and other known containers used for this purpose. It eliminates the need for lock flaps, double end walls and the operations connected therewith and serves the same purpose.